All fish / Syngnathidae

Banded Pipefish

Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus

Also known as ringed pipefish, banded pipefish, yellow banded pipefish, red banded pipefish, zebra pipefish, doryrhamphus dactyliophorus, yes, オビテンスモドキ, ヒバシヨウジ, 斑节海龙, 环纹海龙

This slender pipefish has bold red or yellow and white rings along its body and a red tail fin with a white edge, so it is easy to spot. It hangs near caves and overhangs, and keepers prize it because its colours look striking in a quiet reef tank. It may also pick parasites off larger fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

A single fish or a bonded pair; a small group can work in a larger tank

Diet

Carnivore: live or frozen mysis, enriched brine shrimp and copepods, fed small amounts several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to southern Japan and south to Australia

Breeding

The male carries the eggs in a brood area under his belly and releases tiny live young after about two weeks. Pairs often spawn in aquaria, but the young are very hard to rear because they need tiny live foods such as copepods and rotifers.

Good to know

It feeds slowly and needs a steady supply of small live or frozen food, so it should not be kept with fast or aggressive feeders. It also needs a mature tank with plenty of pods, and it should not share a tank with anemones or large crustaceans that could catch it.